The P(leisure) City and Gerontechnology
C.H. Doevendans
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AbstractWhere theories of the modern city aimed for prosperity, health and hygiene, this contribution argues that the conditions of the experience economy and the so-called post-city have altered severely cultural views on health and well-being. The city has evolved from the metaphor of the machine (functional, productive) to the metaphor of the network. For gerontechnology these general developments make important changes. Health, for instance, is no longer a question of division between healthy and sick, but something to be maintained every day. Consumerism and hyper-consumerism are criticized for simulating experiences, but nevertheless also express a utopian nature that strives for an alternative reality. Every day practices of people are determined by the habit of pleasure and leisure acquired under the influence of consumerist trends and modes which control urban culture, along with the built environment as its scenery, all this supported by ICT and scientific management. Above phenomena can be summarized in the concept of P(leisure) City. This paper argues that pleasure and leisure may have developed too far, but that we do need a broader perspective which includes the experience economy for future social frameworks in gerontechnology.Keywords: leisure; pleasure; consumerism; experience society; built environment
C.H. Doevendans (2009). The P(leisure) City and Gerontechnology. Gerontechnology, 8(4), 209-219
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2009.08.04.007.00